The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 24-30, 2024

RED
October 24-November 10, 2024
Theatre Exile, 1340 South 13th Street, Philadelphia

Head to South Philly this weekend for previews of Theatre Exile’s production of John Logan’s Tony Award-winning play, RED. Opening Theatre Exile’s 28th season (which officially begins with opening night on Friday, November 1), RED tells the story of the relationship between the aging Mark Rothko and his assistant Ken during Rothko’s largest commission, a series of murals for the Four Seasons restaurant in 1950s New York City. With reflections on how difficult it is to remain relevant and the challenge of commercializing art, RED serves as a “portrait of an artist's ambition and vulnerability as he tries to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting.”

Intimate Apparel
October 24-December 1, 2024
Arden Theatre, 40 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia

The Arden is bringing its second production of its season to the stage this week in Intimate Apparel, the play based on two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage’s great-grandmother, a Black seamstress living on the Lower East Side in 1905.

No Breakfast
October 24-26, 2024
Black Box in Vox Populi Gallery, 319 North 11th Street, #3, Philadelphia

Theatre by Development, a new theater company formed by UArts alums, hosts weekend performances of its production of No Breakfast. The late-night comedy show written by the company’s co-founder, Andrew Miqueli, No Breakfast follows a bad boy, a mean girl, and the new girl in school as they are stuck in detention. Teen angst ensues, pulling from No Exit and The Breakfast Club.

Can I Be Frank?
October 25-26, 2024
Wilma Theater, 265 South Broad Street, Philadelphia

This new performance by comedian, musician, and writer Morgan Bassichis with original material by Frank Maya—one of the first out gay comedians to appear on network television—comes to the Wilma for a two-day stint. Revisiting Maya’s 1987 show Frank Maya Talks, this solo performance attempts to bring Maya’s legacy back to light while also “resolving the bottomless queer search for laughter” in times of crises.

SOUND TYPE Concert: ASA-CHANG & Junray
October 25-26, 2024
Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia

Asian Arts Initiative is bringing renowned Japanese musical group ASA-CHANG & Junray for their first-ever US tour. They’re headlining the Asian Arts Initiative’s SOUND TYPE Music Festival, a two-day musical journey. On Friday, October 25, a seminar talk will feature the group and a chance for attendees to engage with them, gaining insight into their creative processes and their signature Junray Tronics device, which merges human and machine sounds live. The concert is on Saturday at 8pm, taking tonal soundscapes inspired by Jakarta, India, and Japan. The film Moon Viewing Platform will precede the concert, a video work from an interdisciplinary public installation that transformed an inhospitable and disused stretch of open-air land into a large-scale performance/gathering space featuring regular acts of caring, a stage, and building-sized nighttime video projections featuring an episodic series of short films.

CultureFest! Día de los Muertos
Saturday, October 26, 11am-4pm
Penn Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia

Penn Museum’s 13th annual CultureFest! Día de los Muertos is here this weekend. The all-day festival will feature an artisan marketplace, live music and dance performances, and a community altar contest. Be sure to check out the Mexico and Central America gallery at the museum while you’re there!

The Hip-Hop Cultural Summit
Saturday, October 26, 10-5pm
Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington

The second annual Hip-Hop Cultural Summit returns to the Delaware Art Museum this weekend. Merging hip-hop with social justice, the Summit includes three exhibitions, including photography by T. Eric Monroe, an exhibition on the invention of the record player, and a showcase of local visual artists. All three exhibits will be on view through January 5, 2025. Additionally, the event will host a series of competitive battles, including hip-hop elementals of MCing, DJing, graffiti, and breakdancing (you can register for MCing, graffiti, and breakdancing if you feel like competing), and headlining it is legendary hypeman Flavor Flav. The summit is family-friendly, free with registration, and open to the public.

Love Your Neighbor Festival
Sunday, October 27, 11am-7pm
Broad Street Love, 315 South Broad Street, Philadelphia

Broad Street Love (formerly Broad Street Ministry) kicks off its inaugural Love Your Neighbor Festival this weekend. The all-day, pay-what-you-can, family-friendly event is a celebration of Brotherly Love, bringing together artists, vendors, food, musical performances, and more, supporting Broad Street Love’s mission of serving radical hospitality and to commemorate National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month.

Diaries From Lebanon
Tuesday, October 29, 7pm
Rhoden Arts Center at PAFA, 118-128 North Broad Street, Philadelphia

The US premiere of Diaries from Lebanon comes to the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts early next week. The documentary captures the nation’s turbulent journey through the lens of three individuals battling for change during Lebanon's political upheaval.